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Sunflowers in Sun and Shade is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on using measured heights as evidence that surroundings change a trait, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-LS3-2. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 22 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

3-LS3-2

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Sunflowers From One Packet

Heights measured after ten weeks, from one packet of seed sown in two places. HEIGHTS AFTER TEN WEEKS Sunny bed: 148 cm, 152 cm, 139 cm, 155 cm, 144 cm Shady bed: 96 cm, 88 cm, 102 cm, 91 cm, 85 cm All seeds came from the same packet. All had the same soil and the same watering. Every plant had yellow flowers and a thick stem.

  1. 1. What claim does this record support?
  2. 2. What would a third bed with even less light probably show?
  3. 3. How do the two beds compare?
  4. 4. What does this record not tell you?
2.Identical twins grow up apart, and one does far more sport. One is much stronger. Inherited or surroundings?
  • A.Inherited, because they are twins
  • B.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  • C.Neither
3.A seedling grown in a dark cupboard is pale and spindly. What caused that?
  • A.Growing without light
  • B.It came from a pale parent
  • C.It was too warm
4.Two cuttings from one geranium grow on a sunny windowsill and in a dark corner. Which will probably have greener, sturdier leaves?
  • A.The one in the dark corner
  • B.The one on the sunny windowsill
  • C.Both exactly the same, because they came from one plant
5.Flamingos get their pink color from the food they eat. What does that show?
  • A.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  • B.The color is only inherited
  • C.All birds are pink
6.Why use seeds from the same packet when testing surroundings?
  • A.So they look the same in photos
  • B.Because packets are cheaper
  • C.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
7.Hydrangea bushes of one kind have blue flowers in some soils and pink in others. What causes the difference?
  • A.The soil they grow in
  • B.The bushes are different kinds
  • C.The gardener's favorite color

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Seed from one packet grew to different heights, so the sunny and shady beds changed how tall the plants grew. 2. Plants shorter than the shady bed's, if less sunlight means less growth. 3. Every plant in the sunny bed was taller than every plant in the shady bed. 4. It does not tell you how much sunlight each bed actually received.
  2. 2.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  3. 3.Growing without light
  4. 4.The one on the sunny windowsill
  5. 5.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  6. 6.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  7. 7.The soil they grow in

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-LS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.